Pirates' Joey Bart Leaves Game with Injury
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their starting catcher in Joey Bart against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday at PNC Park, after he departed the game with an injury.
Bart would hit a ground out to Reds second baseman Jonathan India, scoring third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the bottom of the first inning. When he ran past first base he stopped running and looked in pain, immediately once he came off the base bag.
Joey Bart gives the Pirates a 1-0 lead, but has to leave the game due to a leg injury... pic.twitter.com/kHo7X184nf
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) August 25, 2024
The Pirates would take Bart out of the game and have Connor Joe pinch hit for him. Bart was the designated hitter, as Yasmani Grandal started the game at catcher for the Pirates. The team announced that Bart had left hamstring discomfort and that the medical staff was treating and examining him to see how bad the injury is.
Joey Bart was removed from this afternoon’s game due to left hamstring discomfort. He is currently being examined and treated by the medical staff. We will provide an update as new information becomes available.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 25, 2024
Bart came to the Pirates in a trade with the San Francisco Giants on April 2, with right-handed pitcher Austin Strickland going the other way. The Pirates had injuries to both Jason Delay and Grandal at the time and Bart competed with Henry Davis for time at catcher.
He has had a solid first season in Pittsburgh with a .273 batting average, 53 hits in 194 at-bats, a .349 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage. He also has eight doubles, 12 home runs, 38 RBIs, 18 walks to 55 strikeouts and five hits by pitch.
Bart starred for Georgia Tech from 2016-18, including a great 2018 season, where he led the ACC with a .359 batting average, earning himself ACC Player of the Year honors.
The Giants selected Bart with the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, signing him to a $7,025,000 bonus, the highest for a position player.
He played sparingly across four seasons with the Giants, 162 total games from 2020-23, slashing .219/.228/.335 with 100 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and 32 walks to 178 strikeouts.
Grandal is the only healthy catcher on the roster and if the Bart is out for some time, the Pirates will need to call up a catcher from the minor leagues, most likely Davis.
DOMINIC CAMPBELL